Wondrous Words Wednesday — February 19
Today’s words are from Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson. The definitions are from my Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (1979).
In a description of an older man:
His ears are elongated and have grown a radiant fringe of lanugo. p. 37
lanugo: a dense cottony or downy growth
Beneath him several figures swam in murky pools of lanthorn-light. p. 51
lanthorn: (chiefly British) lantern
Sizar is used several times in a section about life at Cambridge in the 1600s. This quote has something of a definition (the boy in question turns out to be Isaac Newton):
The boy was a sizar — a nobody from the provinces trying to escape from the lower class by taking holy orders and angling for a deaconage in some gale-chafed parish. p. 60
sizar: a student (as in the university of Cambridge) who receives an allowance toward his college expenses and who orig. acted as a servant to other students in return for this allowance
Illustration from Cambridge University Library exhibit about Isaac Newton
In this passage, Isaac Newton is asking for assistance with his famous experiment that involved using a darning needle to change the shape of his own eye socket.
“I need you to draw a reticule on a leaf of paper and then hold it up at various measured distances from my cornea — as you do, I’ll move the darning needle up and down — creating greater and lesser distortions in the shape of my eyeball — I say, I’ll do that with one hand, and take notes of what I see with the other.” p. 72
I thought I knew the word reticule as a bag — the dictionary confirms that it’s a woman’s drawstring bag used as carryall. But a second meaning is as a synonym for reticle which must be what we’re getting at here.
reticle: a system of lines, dots, cross hairs, or wires in the focus of the eyepiece of an optical instrument
Wondrous Words Wednesday is hosted by Bermudaonion’s Weblog. Kathy says: “Wondrous Words Wednesday is a weekly meme where we share new (to us) words that we’ve encountered in our reading.”
Well, they’re all new to me. Lots of genuinely new ones this week!
New words to me
Our son had lanugo when he was born but I didn’t realize that’s what you call it. I sure am glad I was never a sizar!
A great selection of new words. I too, thought reticule was a lady’s bag or small purse. Can you imagine Sir Isaac Newton trying to change the shape of his eyeball with a darning needle! Yikes!!!
This book gave you a nice selection of new words. I like sizer best – both the sound of it and its meaning.
Very informative Joy, on multiple levels. I did not realize Issac Newton performed such an experiment. (Better he than me!) What a devoted scientist! I guess we are all lucky that he was. Thanks Joy!
All are new to me, and they all are interesting!
Great words, thanks!
I haven’t read Stephenson in ages. This makes me want to pick up Quicksilver, as if I wasn’t already trying to read too many things at once.
Newton was a very, very strange man – which is clearly a good thing and rather a bad thing as well (like his disagreements with Leibniz).
I’m glad you checked on reticle, since a ladies drawstring bag doesn’t quite fit the context
Pingback:Book Review: Newton by Peter Ackroyd | Joy's Book Blog
I knew lanugo (the term for the fine hair covering babies born a bit early) and reticular as a net pattern. The others are all new for me too- certainly an interesting bunch of words.
Pingback:English Baroque in Fact & Fiction #BriFri | Joy's Book Blog